Courtney keen to impress as manager

Published:15:54Tuesday 08 December 2015

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New Berwick Speedway manager Scott Courtney can’t wait for March to come around so he can get his teeth into his new role properly.

The former rider, boss of his own carpet-fitting business in the town, is eager to succeed and believes the club have already assembled a team capable of holding their own in the premier league in 2016.

“We may not look the best team on paper, but we have a good mix of youth and experience,” he said.

“There is strength in depth, and in the past that is a formula which has worked well for Berwick.”

Courtney had a meeting with team captain Kevin Doolan last week and believes he has the right man for the job in the pits.

“As everyone knows, I used to mechanic for Kevin in the past, so we know each other very well indeed,” he said.

“Kevin is a really friendly guy and gets on well with everyone, but, more importantly, he is a very experienced rider and knows how to motivate the riders and get the best out of them.

“This is my first venture into team management, and it is going to be a big learning curve for me, but with people like Kevin around me, not to mention Matty Wethers and Theo Pijper, it should help make things a bit easier.

“They are all experienced guys who know what they are talking about, and hopefully they can bring the younger riders on, particularly someone like Liam Carr, who will hopefully learn a great deal from them to help him develop into the rider we all hope he can be.”

Courtney says one of the key features of the side is that all seven riders have raced for Berwick in the past.

“None of them are new to the track or the surroundings, and that should mean they settle in quickly,” he said.

“I know it’s a cliche, but I am really looking forward to it. I just can’t wait for March to come around.

“Last year, the atmosphere wasn’t great around the club, but now things look a lot more positive.”